A still from INSIGHT’s Video 1, projected in the front room—depicting the outer world.
The same still from INSIGHT’s Video 1, seeping through a translucent screen, with Video 2 (left) and Video 3 (right) in the back room—depicting the inner world.
Please read the text and description in the order presented to fully understand the core intent of the project.
INsight
A Three-Channel Video and Spatial Installation
INSIGHT is a multi-year self-documentation project exploring inner transformation through Eastern reflective practices. Funded by the BC Arts Council, the installation invites viewers into a perceptual shift, mirroring the artist’s evolving awareness through self-filming.
The project found resonance with a Zen concept: "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water." While external actions remain unchanged, internal awareness transforms—this is at the core of INSIGHT.
In 2015, Roger began filming himself while working alone on physically demanding, self-taught projects on the land. Over four years and more than 3,000 hours of recorded work, the camera became a tool for self-observation rather than mere documentation, revealing how focus shapes perception. Through this process, Roger confronted lifelong anxiety and an ingrained need for constant self-learning, rooted in a sense of inadequacy from his upbringing.
Adjusting the camera throughout the day subtly altered his experience of work, slowing him down and expanding his attention. Reviewing footage at night further transformed his perspective—what once felt like an isolated, task-driven pursuit evolved into an awareness of his surroundings. He saw himself as part of a larger whole rather than solely focused on the task at hand.
As Eckhart Tolle wrote, “Doing is never enough if you neglect Being.” INSIGHT makes this distinction tangible.
Through three synchronized video projections and an immersive spatial environment, the installation gives form to this shift in awareness. A translucent projection screen divides the space, allowing those in the Inner World to see into the Outer World, reflecting how inner awareness perceives external reality. Viewers move through the installation, engaging with objects and animations that mirror the oscillation between fixation and presence. Rather than prescribing transformation, the work offers a space where shifts in perception may unfold, inviting contemplation on attention, self-observation, and being.
In a world where productivity is often prioritized over presence, and anxiety and burnout are pervasive, INSIGHT offers a counterpoint. It explores how our relationship with work and presence shapes our internal states. By creating an environment that reflects these inner shifts, INSIGHT invites viewers to consider how perceptual awareness can alter the experience of daily life.
INSIGHT builds on I Am The One Man Show | 我 是場獨角戲, a video projection introducing Roger’s documentation. This work debuted on December 22, 2018, at the Outdoor Plaza of the Pingtung Performing Arts Center in Pingtung, Taiwan, Roger’s birth city and hometown.
Below are selected video and animation clips, along with a model of the spatial environment, illustrating the installation’s layout and viewing experience.
Installation Framework and Credits follow below.
Above: A selected clip from INSIGHT’s Video 1, projected in the front room—depicting the outer world.
Above: The same selected clip from INSIGHT’s Video 1, seeping through a translucent screen, is synchronized with Videos 2 (left) and 3 (right) in the back room—depicting the inner world. Video 2, created from work notes, focuses solely on task completion, while Video 3 shifts attention to the surrounding environment. This mirrors Roger’s experience—his awareness shifting between a fixation on work and a broader sense of presence. A thin wall with a tapered shelf on each side divides the back room (see model), but it is not shown here.
Above: Front Room (Outer World): The viewer enters the space through the front room, where they encounter a chair—designed and made by Roger—facing Video 1, symbolizing self-observation through self-filming.
Above: Back Room (Inner World): Two animations play on opposite walls. A thin wall with a tapered shelf on each side partially divides the space in the middle.
The thin wall represents the fine line between mental states, enabling dynamic viewing. It invites the audience to move between perspectives, noticing how focus and awareness shift—and how these shifts can be a conscious choice.
Above: Objects placed on each side of the thin wall’s shelf ground the experience in the physical world: tools on the left and found natural objects on the right.
This is the viewer’s perspective when standing behind the thin wall in the middle of the back room, observing Roger performing the same task on screen but with different mindsets. This view reflects the Zen saying: Chop wood, carry water—the actions remain the same, but perception changes.
Even when the body stays busy, the mind doesn’t have to be.
Installation Framework
Format: Three synchronized video projections
Duration: 9-minute loop per video.
Conceptual Framework Summary:
The following is a recap of the conceptual framework already detailed alongside the videos and images above. If you've read the descriptions, this will be familiar.
The viewer enters the Front Room (Outer World) and first encounters a chair facing Video 1. The chair represents the gaze of consciousness, engaging in self-observation through self-filming. The projection screen is translucent, allowing Video 1 to seep into the Back Room (Inner World).
In the Back Room, two animations play on opposite walls. A thin wall with tapered shelves partially divides the space. One video focuses solely on task completion, while the other shifts attention to the surrounding environment. This mirrors Roger’s experience—his awareness shifts between a fixation on work and a broader sense of presence.
The thin wall symbolizes the fine line between mental states. It invites dynamic viewing, encouraging the audience to move between perspectives and observe how focus and awareness shift—and that they can be a choice.
The Back Room reflects the Zen saying: Chop wood, carry water—where actions remain the same, but perception transforms. Even when the body stays busy, the mind doesn’t have to be.
Objects placed on each side of the thin wall ground the experience in the physical world.
Adaptability: The three-channel projections can be adapted into a single-channel format by combining all three videos into one. This format is ideal for showcasing the video independently, without the integration of sculpture, objects, and spatial design.
Credits
INSIGHT is funded by the BC Arts Council in Canada.
We acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Heesoon Bai and Dr. Avraham Cohen, both scholars and psychotherapists, who were engaged as consultants to support our research discussions related to INSIGHT. We also thank Dr. Zuzana Vasko, an artist, scholar and educator, for her thoughtful presence and participation in the discussion.